Clothing Options For the ‘Little Guy’…

Ladies have it so easy when it comes to fashion.

The industry basically caters to women of all shapes and sizes. There are stores dedicated only to plus and petite sizes, but men aren’t as lucky.  There are some places for big and tall, but nothing for the more vertically challenged men.

Being short isn’t a crime!

The New York Times Style Blog just wrote a raving article about Petter Manning New York, a clothing line designed specifically for men 5′ 8″ and shorter.  According to the article, Manning was sick of constantly having everything he bought off the rack tailored, so he took matters into his own hands and designed his line.

I clicked over to the site to see what his clothes look like….except there’s virtually no inventory.  He only sells one style of t-shirt, polo and weekend shirt available in five colors.  His sweaters, chinos, and shorts are only available in two different colors, all with the same style. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very reminiscent of J.Crew’s classy, yet casual look. But a little more variety would be appreciated.

So after picking your shirts color, the Peter Manning online store has it’s own sizing system.  Shirts and sweaters are marked one to five, one being the smallest size and five being the largest.  Pants start at 26″ wide by 27″ long, and the 27″ inseam is available through a 34″ waist.

Peter Manning is the first store I’ve seen to carry a 27″ inseam, a definite plus for any vertically challenged guy.

While I’m all for anything that gives men more access to fashion, there isn’t a large enough selection to be a beacon of petite men’s fashion.  The line is targeting younger, vertically challenged stylish men–like they’re not already going to have a pair of chinos and polos to match?

Like I said, I’m really excited that men’s fashion is blossoming into a niche industry, but we still have a long way to go.